I just can't justify it!

@Fleura (34927)
United Kingdom
January 5, 2024 3:32am CST
The other issue affecting my decision not to have a pet cat is that I just can’t justify having a cat when they are so destructive. Yes their hunting behaviour might be ‘natural’, but they are present at a much higher density than wild cats would be. One genuine Scottish wildcat (very similar size and appearance to a domestic tabby cat) will hold a territory of about 3 square kilometres, and there are about 2,000 wildcats in the UK. In contrast there are about 900,000 feral cats, and 11 million pet cats. So if we only had native wildcats populating the entire country at their usual density, there would be a maximum of 80,000. Instead there are 150 times as many cats! Just think about that for a moment. Every robin, blackbird, vole or harvest mouse has to avoid being caught not by one cat, but by 150 of them! We have at least five cats doing the rounds of our garden, and we don’t even own a cat. The more I know about the situation, the less I can justify the thought of keeping a cat. They are probably the most destructive invasive species in the world (after humans I expect) and are responsible for killing millions of animals of thousands of different species, many of them endangered. The only solution would be to keep the cat indoors, but that seems cruel and unnatural for the cat. So it has to be a no from me. You can read more here: https://focusingonwildlife.com/news/killer-kitties-cats-are-eating-2000-species-including-hundreds-that-are-at-risk/
12 people like this
12 responses
@LadyDuck (502148)
• Italy
5 Jan 24
IF we want to let our cat go out we MUST neuter/spay the cat first to avoid unwanted kittens. If you do not want that your cats have surgery you have to keep the cat indoor. Wild cats (there are very few) are captured, neutered, then released to enjoy their freedom again.
4 people like this
@LadyDuck (502148)
• Italy
9 Jan 24
@Fleura Did the cat kill the bird? I am so sorry. I have saved a few birds from the cats.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (502148)
• Italy
9 Jan 24
@Fleura The entry door is not far from the kitchen and I have the kitchen window just in front of the sink.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (34927)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 24
@LadyDuck I don't know. Although I'm by the window I can't get outside so quickly because the door is on the opposite side of the house. Of course the cat had vanished.
2 people like this
@NJChicaa (127116)
• United States
5 Jan 24
My cats are indoor-only and they are very happy.
4 people like this
@Fleura (34927)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 24
That's good for everyone
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (51811)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
5 Jan 24
But we're so lovable and loving...prrrrr... =^..^=
3 people like this
@Fleura (34927)
• United Kingdom
6 Jan 24
and manipulative!
3 people like this
@LindaOHio (222222)
• United States
5 Jan 24
We always had indoor dogs. We have a large fenced-in yard for them to romp in. Cats just aren't as affectionate. Have a good weekend.
3 people like this
@Fleura (34927)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 24
Very true. I'm sure you know the saying 'Dogs have owners; cats have staff'
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (222222)
• United States
10 Jan 24
@Fleura I hadn't heard that one. That's funny.
1 person likes this
@lazydaizee (6732)
• United Kingdom
5 Jan 24
All our neighbours seem to have cats and we are always having to shoo then out of our garden ( the cats not the neighbours). It is not that we do not like cats because we do. It is just that they keep on going to toilet on our grass and we find it very unpleasant having to pick up animal poo when we do not have a pet ourselves. There was one cat who always did a poo right outside our back gate and we had to watch where we walked so that we did not step in it.
3 people like this
@Fleura (34927)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 24
Yes it is doubly annoying having to deal with poo when it isn't even your animal! Usually cats prefer bare earth and I have very little of that but if I sow something like radishes I have to be sure to cover with wire netting and /or spiky twigs.
2 people like this
• Georgia
5 Jan 24
Cats need only raw meat and water, nothing else. I was on a farm with feral cats and house cats. The house cats only ate kibble, table scraps and bread! Both types killed birds and mice, but the feral ones actually ate what they killed; the house cats killed but did not know what to do with the meat. So in the case of the house cats, the kill was always a waste. Also, the feral ones did not seem to breed so often and they did not kill so often, but that might be anecdotal... I've seen house cats turn up their noses at meat and they do not have the jaw strength to go through bone. This is why house cats do not do well in the outdoors. Personally, if I had to absolutely have to keep a cat completely indoors as the only way to have one as a pet, I would also, despite the good some think it might do, go no, for the sake of the cat. And I do not like cat litter boxes.
https://www.peta.org/blog/jonathan-franzen-cats-outdoors/
3 people like this
@popciclecold (40215)
• United States
9 Jan 24
I have 2 indoor cats they bring ume joy.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (34927)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 24
That's good for them and you : )
1 person likes this
@popciclecold (40215)
• United States
9 Jan 24
I have 2 indoor cats they bring ume joy.
@jstory07 (148701)
• Roseburg, Oregon
7 Jan 24
My cats are indoor cats and go out with us and come back in when we do.
2 people like this
@Tampa_girl7 (54714)
• United States
11 Jan 24
The last two cats we have had were strictly indoors and the one that we still have is very happy and content. We do have to play with her a lot and she has lots of toys.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (135583)
• Marion, Ohio
5 Jan 24
My house cat doesn't even want to go outside and she lived outside until she was about a year old.
3 people like this
@JESSY3236 (22199)
• United States
9 Jan 24
Our cats are indoor cats. They are happy being indoors. Especially today we have rain and wind. They are warm and safe in here.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (34927)
• United Kingdom
9 Jan 24
Glad they are happy indoors : )
1 person likes this